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Central Park Bowl
The Central Park Bowl (commonly called inside Leeds as simply The Bowl '''and nicknamed amongst Leeds Friday faithful as '''The Friday Ground) is a stadium in Central Park, Downtown Leeds, Leeds. It is a multi-use stadium. The stadium has a capacity of 73,089. The stadium is located in a sports area of Central Park called the Leeds Sports Park. The stadium is home to Leeds Friday mainly, but is also used for the occasional concert or national event should the National Stadium be unavailable. It also hosted the Leeds national football team for several matches in 2012. Stadium design The Bowl is located on the grounds of a former abandoned parkland area in the southern half of Central Park, which is now a sports precinct called the Leeds Sports Park, similar to London's Olympic Park. The stadium has the capacity to hold 73,089 spectators. It has three permanent tiers of seating. There are 150 corporate hospitality suites with 7,500 seats total. The stadium has an iconic arch over the pitch. A 350 metre (1,148 ft) long arch holds up the roof of the stadium; the top of the arch rises to 106 metres (348 ft) above the pitch. The arch consists of a 5x5m steel hollow box and weighs 2,600 tonnes. A funicular railway, using Garaventa 25-FULs and operated by Leeds Railways on behalf of the stadium operators, carries visitors from the north side of the stadium to a viewing platform at the top of the arch, offering a magnificent view over the surrounding area. The south side features a 550-step adventure walk. The Central Park Bowl's roof consists of a 46,000 sq metre (500,000 sq ft), Teflon-coated, glass-fibre membrane which will produce a translucent glow when the stadium is lit. These are held up by and attached to the arch by 95mm diameter steel cables. The roof covers 100% of the seats. There is over 80,000 square metres (860,000 sq ft) of floor space within the stadium structure, which can be used for shops, etc. Over 100 columns surround the exterior facade of the stadium. The height of the columns varies around the stadium, but the highest is 46m. In total 15,000 square metres (160,000 sq ft) of facade will surround the stadium. A total of 550 aluminum fins will fit between the main columns. Perforated metal sheeting will be placed between the aluminum fins, where required. Construction Construction started in November 2009. Construction of the arch began in October 2010, and was completed in August 2011. Also in August 2011 the facade was fitted, and the roof was fitted around October 2011. After this seats were fitted and final touches were done. The stadium was completed in June 2012, on schedule. Opening The Bowl was officially opened by the President on 12 July 2012, with a spectacular fireworks display from the arch. To celebrate it's opening, the first game(s) at the stadium was decided to be a double-bill. In the first game, a 12pm kick-off on 14 July, Leeds hosted England. This thrilling encounter finished in a welcome 5–4 victory for Leeds, in front of an attendance of 72,905. The second part of the double-bill kicked off at 7pm in the evening, when the Leeds under-21 squad faced Luxembourg's full team. This equally thrilling game finished with a 5–2 victory for Leeds' U-21s, watched by 58,082 eager fans. Usage The stadium is used as the home of arguably Leeds' finest football team, Leeds Friday, following their move from the Friday Ground in Saltburn Heights in 2012. As a result, the Central Park Bowl has earned the nickname of "the Friday Ground" amongst Friday supporters. It has also been used before for concerts, and has on occasion hosted the Leeds national football team and other national-level sporting events, for example whenever the National Stadium is unavailable. From the 2013 season onwards, the Bowl will be the new host of the League Cup semi-finals and final, and the FA Cup semi-finals (the FA Cup final will move to the National Stadium). It will also be one of the main host venues at Euro 2016.